The website of the team who research palaeoenvironmental change at the Open University

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FTIR spectroscopy

The Open University has a Thermo Nicolet Nexus FT-IR spectrometer coupled with a Continuum IR microscope. Micro-FT-IR spectroscopy can help to identify the chemical composition of biogeomacromolecules such as pollen and spores. Because biogeomacromolecules can be specific to organisms which occupy certain natural settings, they allow the reconstruction of past environments. Notably, the instrument can be used as a tool to assess the effects of past UV-B and solar irradiance flux on the chemistry of fossil pollen.